


For You

by rinappe



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin
Genre: Aged up characters, Coffeeshop AU, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, prerelationship, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinappe/pseuds/rinappe
Summary: Otonashi isn’t the most patient, but she’ll do anything for her favourite golden brown haired boy.
Relationships: Nishikage Seiya/Umihara Norika, Tachimukai Yuuki/Otonashi Haruna
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheDarkFlygon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkFlygon/gifts).



> This is a fic exchange for TheDarkFlygon! Thank you to ina11writingexchange on tumblr for hosting this! I do have to say, I did have a crisis figuring out how to convey the hurt/comfort so I do hope it comes out well ;;  
> It was a joy to see TachiHaru as a prompt and seeing NishiNori really hyped me so I thought, why not try to combine both? Well, tachiharu is the focus, I just love them~  
> Take this for the wonderful TachiTou fic! I hope you enjoy it!!

Otonashi Haruna valued her time, and this was not the way to do it.

She had been waiting for Tachimukai in the university’s library for over half an hour past the promised time, and it was really getting on her nerves. Not replying to any of her texts, not answering his phone, she started questioning if he had any use for it at this point.

“Calm down, Haruna,” she told herself. “Give him a chance.”

She was right to tell herself that. Tachimukai Yuuki would never stand her up without a good reason. Otonashi and everyone that knew him knew he was far too sweet to do so. The endearing boy would accept almost any request, would help every kind stranger they crossed, so he would definitely have a good reason for this. Perhaps he just forgot his phone, that was all.

Come to think of it, Otonashi never recalled seeing Tachimukai on campus that day either. She had asked around, despite having a copy of his schedule, if any classmates had seen him attend classes. 

“Oh, he showed up,” one classmate mentioned. “But he went to the most isolated seat for some reason.”

“We tried to ask him after the lecture but he left immediately and we haven’t seen him since,” another shrugged. “Maybe he’s having an off day.”

Those comments had left Otonashi rather concerned and even a bit unsettled by his odd behavior. Had something happened to him? Just what made him avoid talking to his friends? 

She’d tried reaching him through his phone but obviously, no reply. In the end, she concluded he would open up when they had their study date afterwards, but to no avail. He had yet to arrive.

So she decided to call someone else.

“Haruna? What’s up?” A bubbly voice answered on the other side of the phone.

“Norika! Sorry to bother but is Tachimukai at work?” Otonashi asked, hiding the concern that she had. 

“Hm? Nope, not around,” Norika simply replied. “He postponed today’s shift for his date with you~”

Listening to the teasing giggles of the barista, she felt her face heat up a bit. “Norika...”

“Tachimukai should ask you out already! It’s been months, you know!” She continued her teasing but Otonashi could not blame her. The journalist in her reacted the same way when Natsumi had announced her feelings for Endou. Now, she wish she hadn’t done it.

“We already promised each other that we would after we graduate, okay? My big brother wouldn’t be happy otherwise,” she pouted, the disappointment in her voice as clear as day. 

“Education before dating,” she could still hear his strict voice ring through her mind. Though she was grateful for his care, she just wished he would be more lenient regarding her personal affairs.

“Suuure,” Norika replied, still unconvinced. “Anyway, customers are filing in, hope you get hold of him!” and with that she hung up.

The beeping of the ended call nagged at Otonashi, reminding her of the numerous unanswered calls by Tachimukai. She did her best to suppress her annoyance, she was in a library after all. So she stood up, and ‘calmly’ made her way to the exit. 

And there he stood, ruffled brown hair and all. 

“Tachimukai,” she breathed out, conflicting emotions creating chaos within her. 

“O-Otonashi...” he called out to her, but he was cut by the rapid clicking of her shoes as she stormed over to him. 

“Where have you been?!” she yelled, hand clutching at his sweater. “It’s been an hour!”

Tachimukai did little to resist the blue-haired girl’s fury, rather he did his best to calm her down. “Otonashi, we’re in a library—“

“I’ve been calling you all day, searched all over campus for you and even waited in the canteen till my food went cold! Why, I almost forgot to hand in my assignment because I was worried for you!” she cut him and went on an entire rant with no regard for her surroundings. 

“Just let me—“

“At least talk to your friends! You always hide something when there’s something up, it’s a bad habit of yours.”

“Yes, but—“

“Why’d you have to go disappear like that? I thought we would tell each other if anything happened! Even if we couldn’t directly talk to each other we could tell through friends!”

“If you’d let me—“

“It’s because of the promise I made to my brother, isn’t it? That’s why...” her voice started cracking as her eyes dampened. “At least just tell—“

“Otonashi!”

It was the loudest Otonashi had ever heard him speak, he almost seemed desperate. It snapped her out of her blind rage, and she realized how tightly she was clutching onto his sweater. It was soft, but now it was crinkled because of her. 

“I-I’m sorry, Tachimukai. I d-don’t know what c-came over me...” she stammered, trying to compose herself again, blinking the few formed tears away and taking deep breaths. 

“Let’s head out first?” he gave her the same gentle smile that she loved, the one that would always comfort her no matter the situation. Yet, there was a sadness behind it that left her unsettled, behind his tired looking eyes and sweaty head. Pink tinted his cheeks and his breaths were heavy. 

Otonashi nodded meekly, this time clutching onto his sleeve after the both of them apologized for the ruckus caused in the library. She didn’t dare say anything anymore, not after that look. 

* * *

It was a silent walk, with the occasional laughing child and the chirps of the evening birds. Normally, Otonashi would be chatting it up but after what had happened earlier, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not like this. 

Tachimukai walked ahead of her for once, so she couldn’t check his face. Was he upset that she’d assumed everything? Perhaps that’s why he’d gone pink, and why he’d looked tired. No, she had to get that thought out. The thought that Tachimukai would be tired  _of her_ seemed impossible, but after all that, the thought wouldn’t stop persisting. But she had to stop them. 

He wouldn’t suddenly leave like her parents had. 

The evening sun was luminous, reflecting off the stray hairs on Tachimukai’s head, surrounding him in a golden glow. Otonashi gazed at his figure, distracting herself from those thoughts. 

The warm tawny sweater he wore was damp with sweat, as well as disheveled with creases. His denim trousers were rolled up, which he usually did after a game of soccer. Perhaps he’d been playing before he arrived. 

‘I’d better apologize,’ she thought to herself. 

“Tachimukai—“

“We’re here,” he murmured, interrupting her. In front of them stood Café Kaminari, the local cafe where Tachimukai worked at. It was one of Otonashi’s favourite places, as she got to see the hardworking side of him that she admired so much. 

The bells of the cafe rang as he pushed the door open, and they were greeted with a cheerful welcome from the barista from the sea, Umihara Norika.

“So you came together after all!” she grinned, eyeing Otonashi’s hand latched onto Tachimukai’s sleeve. Feeling the heat of her gaze, Otonashi let go immediately, a tad embarrassed. 

If only she had held on. 

Whether it happened in an instant or in slow motion, she had no idea. The fluttering of his closing eyes. The thump of his body hitting the floor. She felt like she was seeing, hearing all of these at the same time, but she was too stunned to react. 

“Tachimukai!” Norika’s panicked voice snapped her out of her mental shock but she still couldn’t move her body. It froze in place, refusing to listen to her commands. 

“Nishikage! Thank god you’re here, please!”

Otonashi could see the delivery boy at the entrance in the corner of her eye. The way he rapidly put down the box to the side and swiftly picked up the collapsed student urged her to make the slightest movement, and she finally thawed her frozen state. 

She rushed straight behind the counter, pushing past the flaps and grabbed a large cup to fill with water. Her mind was racing, she couldn’t care less for the spills she made when she rushed back. She had to get to him first. 

She takes her spot beside him, holding the cup to his mouth. “Drink,” she whispered, and he did so, sip by sip. Though faint, color returned to his face and his breathing became more stable. 

“You’re an idiot, you could at least tell yourself that you were sick!” Norika scolded him, but this felt like a slap to her face. 

“You’re... sick?” 

She didn’t even wait for a reply; taking his head into her hands, she pressed her forehead against his and felt the burning fever. 

“Not... so close...” Tachimukai panted. “You’ll get... infected.”

“With all due respect, staying home would’ve prevented the most infections,” Nishikage spoke, rubbing his shoulders to relieve any muscle tension. 

Otonashi was too shocked to come up with any smart words. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she could only whisper, not taking her hands off. 

Tachimukai gave her a weak smile. 

“You were... already s-so... worried...” he huffed. “Couldn’t worry... anymore...”

He brought his hand to her cheek and gently caressed it with a soft smile. “Sorry...” and with that he passed out. Limp against Nishikage’s arms, his body kept heating up. 

“We have to get him home, Nishikage, do you mind?” Otonashi asked, the concern and panic in her voice rising. “I understand if you’re busy though...”

“It’s alright, this was my last delivery for today anyway,” he replied, flipping Tachimukai over to his back. “Can’t let you carry him yourself either.”

“I’d wack him if he did,” Norika frowned. “We didn’t train in goalkeeping together for you not to use those arms!”

The little banter between the two let Otonashi relieve some of the tension she felt, and she was thankful. They were a good pair, and she loved seeing their chemistry unfold. 

“I’ll be back,” Nishikage said before leaving, and the bells of the cafe rang. 

Otonashi wanted to follow suit as soon as she could but a question lingered. 

“How did you know he was sick?” she asked, neither anger nor malice in her voice. Just curiosity. 

Norika sighed with a smile on her face. “Stop worrying, that’s something for him to tell you,” she said, pushing her out of the store. “You’ll be fine.”

Choosing to believe in her friend, Otonashi let relief wash over her, and so she left, with the ringing bells following after. 

* * *

The tired groans of Tachimukai were the only thing that kept the walk to his place from being completely silent. Otonashi wasn’t all that close to Nishikage in the first place so she had no idea what to talk about. Only that he was a respectful goalkeeper and that Norika had a thing for him. 

“Otonashi,” his deep voice cut through the silence, surprising a small eep out of her. “Ah, sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, guess I’m still jumpy from earlier,” she laughed off nervously. “I just wasn’t the most helpful, I guess.”

“Kidou said other things though,” Nishikage rebutted, gaining a little curiosity from the journalist. “I’ve heard how your journalist skills helped Raimon gain enough data to pull through the Football Frontier.”

“Oh, that couldn’t compare to Outei’s high cut technology! Your school really was impressive for our generation,” Otonashi refuted back, leading to a little discussion of their old middle school days. It was fun reminiscing and learning a new perspective of how others experienced those nostalgic times.

“I think you and Tachimukai are pretty similar,” he seemed to think out loud. 

“How so?” 

Otonashi couldn’t wholeheartedly believe it. Tachimukai was a lot quieter than she was, yet there was a burning passion that made him never give up. She was sometimes jealous of it, but she realized it wasn’t limitless, and that even he had his own down times. During those times, she was more than glad to give him the push he needed to overcome them. 

“You both never seem to put yourselves before each other,” he replied, face as straight as ever. 

“I feel like you’re teasing me about something I don’t even know about,” she pouted.

“Well, I only heard this from Norika but she was really worried about the two of you. First, Tachimukai tells her not to tell you he got sick from playing in the rain, then you call her to ask about him just as he leaves.”

“He mentioned how he didn’t want to seem childish for getting sick over such a thing, then just rushed out of the cafe despite running that fever. It’s an entire feat in itself really,” he said almost admiringly, perhaps he wish he had that persistence.

“Oh, is that so?” she was speechless, amused by his reason yet annoyed that he had forced himself in the meek condition he was in. It was nearly to the point of touching, but she wouldn’t let herself feel that. “Norika wanted him to tell me that.”

“Ah,” she could hear the surprise in his voice. “Sorry about that.”

She couldn’t help but giggle; Norika’s thoughts of Otonashi and Tachimukai’s heart to heart time were no longer possible now thanks to him, but she was glad that he was there. There was a calming aura around him that made him reliable, so she could see what Norika liked about him. Not that the girl in name had realized herself, of course.

It didn’t take more than a few more steps of silence to reach the door of Tachimukai’s apartment, to which Otonashi unlocked with her spare key. For emergencies, was the reason he had entrusted her with it. 

After setting Tachimukai onto his bed, Nishikage silently made his way to the entranceway to take his leave. Seeing how Otonashi sat beside his bedside, he knew he was simply intruding.

“Thank you, Nishikage,” he heard her say before leaving. “Take care of Norika, alright?”

For the first time, Otonashi managed to see the slightest hint of emotion behind his face, a pink tint and a warm smile grew on his face. He nodded in reply before shutting the door, leaving the two to themselves.

“Haru... na...” she heard him grumble, which she gently hushed him to sleep. He’d never called her by her first name before; but she loved hearing his voice saying it.

“I’m here,” she hushed. “I’m here.” 

Tucking him into bed, she prepared a compress for his fever and started to whip up a warm meal for him. The silence this time was welcoming, with the evening sun peeking through his small window and the bubbling of the porridge she was making, creating a warm atmosphere. 

“Wake up Tachimukai,” she nudged, putting the fresh bowl of porridge down. 

He groaned awake, trying to set himself up. “Oto... nashi?” He mumbled, still feeling fuzzy from the fever. He forced himself upright, holding onto his head which had a cold compress to cool his fever.

“Ah, there you go again, forcing yourself!” She cried out, supporting his back. 

“S-Sorry,” he apologized, and looked down with a troubled face. “I’m always troubling you, aren’t I?”

Her heart tightened at his words, almost offended. “Yeah, that’s right! Always disturbing me with that pessimistic attitude of yours! Always keeping things from me, always making me think that you can’t trust me anymore!”

Whether these words stung Tachimukai, he didn’t show. He just looked at her in a daze, as if surprised by her words. “So please,” she whispered, holding his hand in hers. “Talk to me more. Never avoid me or anyone like that again.”

His cheeks tinted pink, and he nodded. He took her hands into his own and brought them to his lips, gently pecking them. “Thank you, Otonashi, for being so patient with me,” he smiled, with the gentle smile that she loved, now full of vitality and warmth. 

As much as she would love to adore his smile more, the ring on her phone said otherwise. It was a text from her parents, saying they would visit her place soon. Sighing, she rose from her place and straightened her clothes before picking up her things. 

“I left some medicine on the side, so remember to take them after you eat. Also, no more training in the rain, who knows when you’ll pull this off again?” she threw in the last sentence with a giggle. Tachimukai’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t find out about that...” he mumbled with a pout, to which she laughed. 

“Well, take care,” she said before taking her leave but he quickly grabbed her arm. “Huh?”

“O-Otonashi...” he stammered, still flustered but he was determined to say this. “I’m pessimistic, clumsy and my only good trait is probably my stubbornness to keep persevering. So why?”

She raised her eyebrow, still not understanding the question.

“Why do you go through all this trouble for someone like me?”

Because you’re determined. Because your happiness is my happiness. Because I love you.

These thoughts she wish she could voice it all out, but she was still in a rush. So she picked out the best words to convey her feelings.

“Because you know, Yuuki,” she smiled, walking to his side once again, surprising him with the use of his first name. She planted a light kiss on his cool forehead, and laughed at the redness of his face. 

“I would do anything, if it’s for you.”


End file.
